Bushman protests make their mark at the opening of De Beers’s new London diamond store 21 November 2002

Last night's protests at the opening of De Beers's new London diamond store have caused a storm of media coverage. The large, but peaceful, protests by supporters of the Gana and Gwi Bushmen and Bakgalagadi have been widely reported in Europe, North America and South Africa.

The New York Times, reporting De Beers's threat of legal action against Survival, reads, 'A messy argument about treatment of indigenous people is probably the last thing De Beers needed.' Today's Financial Times reports that De Beers's attempt to promote the diamond as a symbol of love, money and power is being 'undermined' by the campaign against the eviction of the Basarwa.

Protesters created a wall of banners and placards across the road from celebrities arriving at the party. The protests were also reported by SAPA, the Daily Telegraph, SAFM, Vogue fashion magazine, the Times, the Guardian, and London's Evening Standard, among others.